


First Burn

by TheScarletWarrior



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, Consequences, Drabble, Gen, Mentor/Protégé, Not Shippy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:28:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27668186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheScarletWarrior/pseuds/TheScarletWarrior
Summary: Of choices and consequence.
Relationships: Shay Cormac & Achilles Davenport
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	First Burn

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by "First Burn" by Ari Afsar.

"Don't.” Shay sounded angry now. “You don’t have that right.” 

Achilles felt his fury rise, replacing the grief and guilt. He knew he shouldn’t take it out on Shay, knew that he didn’t deserve that, but anything was better than this overwhelming guilt. “I don’t have the right? You quit, and you say I can’t? Does your insolence know no bounds?” 

Shay’s voice was far more composed than his own, in a way Achilles had never thought the young Irishman capable of. _Maybe that was part of the problem._

“I never quit. I ran off a cliff and got shot in the back trying to destroy one of the biggest threats' humanity has ever faced. I was saved from death by pure coincidence, then didn’t wake up for six months. And when I did wake up, it was to find out that my former allies were gassing civilians and using gangs to extort people – the very kind of thing Liam and I fought in our youth, the very kind of crime my father suffered at. Then the same man who saved me is killed by Liam, and that world destroying device stolen. I throw my lot in with the Templars, trying to prevent a terrible catastrophe. And I fail. And the world burns. And now you want to _quit_. Run away from your problems, refuse to face their consequences.” 

Shay gazed at him, with eyes full of terrible knowledge and a timeless burden. A look Achilles was primarily responsible for putting there in his refusal to listen. A look no one should have at the age of twenty-eight, a look that told him all he would ever have to know about consequence. Achilles listened, for didn’t he owe at least that much to one who’s soul he had broken? 

“You told me we have the responsibility for these artifacts. For humanity. Well, whatever my opinion on that, you made your choice, and it was the wrong one. And know it is _your_ responsibility to fix that mistake.” 

“How?” Achilles demanded, no heat in his voice this time. He didn’t have the energy. “The world is reeling, the Brotherhood broken. Countries, Governments, they are falling apart. What can we do? Your friend Haytham is more suited to political work than I. He, monstrous as he is, is the one who might save the Colonies yet. What can a gang of criminals do?” 

The gaze, so full of pain before, had hardened. The reference of Kenway as monstrous hadn’t helped. 

“You can help people. Yes, Haytham can play the political game, get funding, build governments, unite people terrified by crisis. But he can’t fight criminals, divide resources, be a source of _hope_. For that was never a Templar goal. But people trust a phantom savoir more than they will ever trust their rulers. Ezio Auditore didn’t save Rome from the Borgia through politics, but by being a symbol. A sign that freedom was possible, that they were not alone in this fight. And you can get the world to work together. The other Mentors respect you in a way the other Grandmasters don’t respect Haytham. _You can try to fix this_. And if it doesn’t work, well at least you gave it your all.” 

Shay gave him one last look, and one last message to remember. Achilles honestly wasn’t sure if the words were aimed at his former mentor, or himself “That would be _enough_.” 

And with that, the Templar turned and left, as silently as he came.

**Author's Note:**

> To all readers, I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
